


I'll String Along With You

by Tintenfischie



Series: Rawhide: New Vegas [4]
Category: Fallout: New Vegas, Rawhide (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fallout (Video Games) Setting, Ethical Dilemmas, Friendship, Gen, Grocery Shopping, M/M, Mild Language, Platonic Female/Male Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:26:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23975965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tintenfischie/pseuds/Tintenfischie
Summary: Stopping in a nearby town to buy supplies, the drovers pick up an unexpected, but not unwelcome, passenger by the name of Veronica Santangelo. More than capable of holding her own, her reason for joining up with the drovers raises a few questions.
Relationships: Gil Favor/Rowdy Yates
Series: Rawhide: New Vegas [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728676
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2
Collections: WestFic





	I'll String Along With You

**Author's Note:**

> Thank goodness New Vegas has some absolutely awesome women characters, because as much as I love Rawhide, oh my god does it lack in that department. Thanks, 1960s TV. Anyway, hope everyone enjoys this long overdue chapter!

Along every drive, it’s inevitable that resources dwindle down. There’s only so much room in the wagons and saddlebags, only so much one can get from the desert itself. All put together, it’s not enough for the entire journey from California to Freeside.

Outposts, caravans, and the occasional prospecting trip here and there can help resupply, but the best sources are always towns. Even the smallest of towns offer the basic necessities of food and water, while the larger ones tend to have much more. Ammunition, medical supplies, repair parts, and anything else the men may need (or just want, should they have the caps to spare) are usually available.

The name’s Gil Favor, and being the trail boss of a drive means keeping it running, even when the unexpected happens, and the unexpected always happens.

* * *

The drive had already passed the town of Primm, which they took advantage of to send mail through the Mojave Express, but while that was useful, little else in the town was. The casino and hotel weren’t the kind of offerings the drive necessitated. Casinos offered fun; what they needed were basic supplies, specifically for the radhorses that carried the entire operation, quite literally.

The nearest town that could supply them with the specific goods they needed was a little place by the name of Goodsprings. It was a frequent stop for passing caravans and brahmin drives, meaning a population friendly toward such groups; not always a guarantee in all towns.

However, there was also a saloon, which would have everything Favor _didn’t_ want the drovers getting their hands on. The town was friendly now, and the last thing he needed was some drunken incident souring good relations.

Who the boss would pick to make this particular journey was always a topic of conversation. The camp was already abuzz, with a few in particular vying to go. Jim was oddly confident that, having had to sit out the past several town runs, it would be his turn this time around.

“The way I sees it, it’s like playing roulette. Spin the wheel and lose enough times, eventually, you’re bound to hit a winner.” He sat on an overturned crate and drank black coffee from a tin cup, seeming far too pleased with his gambling metaphor.

“That why you lose all your caps every time you hit a casino?” Pete said, gently kicking the side of the crate. “Anyway, I think I’ve earned a break from camp duties and long watch shifts, it’s about time I got my turn in town, again.”

“If we’re talking odds,” Rowdy quickly chimed in, “we all know I’m Mr. Favor’s go-to for town trips.” He smiled proud and wide, but Jim quickly shot him down.

“Rowdy, you better pipe down. You get special treatment ‘cause you’re sleepin’ with the boss.”

Rowdy sputtered, unable to form words while the rest of the group laughed. “That--that ain’t so and you know it! I been doing this kind of job before I even knew Mr. Favor!”

“If you say so.” Jim sipped his coffee. “Pete, I dunno what you’re so damn happy ‘bout, you’re just the same as Rowdy.”

“Whoa, hey now!” Pete’s smile very quickly faded. “You think I got this scoutin’ job because of that? As if I weren’t one of the top Rangers in the NCR?”

“I’m only sayin’, you and Rowdy sure do get to go into town an awful lot.”

“Maybe it’s ‘cause we won’t go drink the saloon’s entire supply in one visit.”

“If everyone keeps arguin’, I’ll send Mushy into town and let you all assist Wish with chuck.” Favor said, his presence putting an end to the banter. “Pete, we need you to check out the northbound trail. Heard from some travelling merchants, there’s been deathclaw sightings up that way. If there’s even the slightest sign of any, we’ll need to make our way east instead.”

“That’ll delay the drive by a good week!” Pete said.

“Which is why it’s so important you find out if those deathclaw sightings are an overblown rumour or not. As for town, Rowdy, think you can behave long enough to make a supply run?”

“Sure I can!” At Favor’s announcement, Rowdy grinned and ignored Jim rolling his eyes behind his back. He could take more teasing after he got back, as the trip was well worth it.

With Pete quickly leaving for another scouting trip, Rowdy eagerly prepared for his own. With a few caps of his own to spare, he was already considering whether to get sugar bombs or sour gum drops.

The wagon ride wasn’t too long, but Wish’s surprisingly vocal complaining was more so than usual. It seemed an old rival prospector of his had settled down in Goodsprings, and Wish had no short supply of things to say about the fellow.

“Not sure how he managed to ‘retire’, when he weren’t even that good of prospector, neither! Any time he found some good claim, supposedly raiders or Legion took over. Mighty convenient, if you ask me.”

Rowdy just nodded along, far more interested in the Goodsprings General Store sign growing more and more visible as they approached. He briefly worried that the shopkeep might be the old prospector Wish spoke of, and that he might be equally as cantankerous as the cook.

Upon arrival, Rowdy practically jumped from the wagon seat, before wish could even tie down the radhorses.

“Hold up! Do you even remember what you’re supposed to get? I don’t want you to come back with nothin’ but junk food!”

“I got the list!” Rowdy called back, jogging to the shop. The door opened with a creak and the jingling of an old bell. It was poorly lit, with only the natural daylight coming in through the small windows.

For all the shelves stocked full of both new and pre-war items, from books to appliances to little toy cars, Rowdy failed to spot the exact things the drive actually needed. What he did spy, was a hunched figure, examining and straightening some of the books.

“Excuse me, ma’am, do you carry any kinda livestock liniment here?”

From the clothing she wore, Rowdy had expected a very elderly woman, perhaps some old lady selling her wares. Instead, when she stood up straight and turned around, he saw someone about his own age, dark brown eyes gazing directly into his.

He must have been staring a little too long, because it was the young woman who spoke up first. “Do you need help?”

“Oh, uh, hi.” He knew he sounded stupid and quickly tried to recover, hoping she wasn’t offended. “Sorry, I thought you might work here.”

“Nope, just shopping here.”

“Don’t happen to be a local, do you?”

“Sorry, not that, either. Why, need some help finding your way around?” She spoke in a fairly friendly manner, which put Rowdy at ease after his initial misunderstanding. “I may not live here, but I stop by often enough to know the area pretty well.”

“Well, I was lookin’ for some liniment and feed. See, I’m on a brahmin drive and we need to make sure all our radhorses are in working condition.”

“Oh, in that case, I guess I can’t help. Livestock isn’t exactly my specialty.” The girl shrugged. “I’m Veronica, by the way. I may not work here, and I don’t know anything about livestock, but I do know how to ask the actual store owner where to find what you need.”

“I’m Rowdy. In name only, not in disposition.” He gave his brightest smile. “Guess I sound kinda silly, mistaking you for the store clerk.”

“Only a little. It took me a few visits to get to know the whole town.”

“You a prospector or somethin’?” He asked.

“Sort of. Let’s go with the ‘or something’ option.”

“You mean you ain’t with a caravan or group or nothin’?”

“Nope, just little old me.” Veronica said with another shrug. “I swear, it’s not as depressing as it sounds.”

“But ain’t it dangerous?” He thought of how, even for seasoned rangers like their scout, it was unwise to stay alone out in the wastes for too long. Not to mention someone so young. He briefly imagined having to travel the Mojave alone on his own, and just as quickly banished the idea.

“It’s not any more dangerous for me than it is for anyone else. Anyone who knows what they’re doing, anyway.” She held up her right hand, showing off the power fist she wore. Anyone who wielded such a weapon was far from combat shy, which reassured Rowdy that she was no slouch.

“That calls for closer combat than I like to handle.”

“Close combat is my specialty! I aim better with this than with any gun. Not that I’m bad with those, either.”

“Wouldn’t mind havin’ you on our drive. You ever consider drovin’?” 

“I can’t say I have, not really. Like I said, my knowledge of livestock is limited. I usually only deal with brahmin once they’re steaks.”

“That’s the best way to deal with ‘em.” Rowdy said. “Kinda get sick of ‘em when you gotta stare at a whole herd for who knows how many weeks straight.”

“Can I help you two?” A man asked, to which Rowdy and Veronica wheeled around.

“Uh, you the store owner?” Rowdy said, fiddling with his hat strings.

The bearded man wore the expression of someone who knew that was a stupid question. “I sure am. Are you looking for something in particular?”

Fumbling briefly with the list, Rowdy read off the items required. Turned out, the livestock supplies were out behind the store in crates, but were indeed in stock. Purchasing several tins of liniment, and a decent number of feed sacks, Rowdy began to lift them. Or at least, attempt to.

“How about I help carry some of those. I don’t think your fellow drovers would be happy if you broke your back trying to carry some grain.” Veronica said.

“Aw, you don’t gotta do that.”

“What if I want to? C’mon, let me help!” Not waiting for a real answer, she picked up a burlap bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Oh wow, these are heavy. Where to?”

“This way!” Rowdy led her to where the wagon was. Wishbone appeared to just be making his way toward the store. “You coulda parked a little closer, Wish. Wanna help?”

“I’m not injuring myself with those bags. You know my back ain’t good for that. ‘Sides, that’s why Favor had you come along in the first place.” Wish just then noticed the young woman with Rowdy. “Looks like you made a new friend to help out, anyway.”

Veronica heaved the bag into the wagon and, with her power fist-free hand, greeted Wish with a handshake. “I’ll help with the rest. I think it’ll only take a couple more trips, then we’ll be done.”

“Well that’s mighty kind of you, miss!” Wish had a genuine smile, as he so often did when people outside the drive were unexpectedly polite. “We ought to repay you! How’d you like to join us for dinner, back at the drive?”

“Really? Could I?” Veronica glanced at Rowdy, as she spoke.

“Of course! It’s the least I can do for you!”

Rowdy and Veronica went to work on the rest of the feed. “Wish ain’t normally so kind, least not to the drovers.”

“Well, I won’t say no to dinner.”

The trip back to camp was much more pleasant than the trip into town. This was exclusively due to Veronica leading conversation, with Wish asking about her life. Her travelling alone was still a surprise to Wish, though he didn’t find it so odd as Rowdy had.

“I remember when I first struck out on my own, prospectin’. It was just as dangerous then as it is now! I’m awful glad to see you at least got that weapon there. Can’t be too well-armed out there!”

Veronica didn’t bother to correct him that she wasn’t a prospector, and Rowdy didn’t ask. He was deeply enjoying her company. Someone this friendly was a rarity in the Wasteland, and he wanted to enjoy it for as long as he could.

Once at camp, Rowdy knew many of the other drovers would want to talk to the newcomer, since any positive novelty was welcome, but he wasn’t ready to share his new friend’s attention yet. Instead, he made a slight detour upon leaving the wagon.

“Wanna see the radhorses? Livestock  _ is _ one of my specialties, after all.”

“Sure!” They made their way to the remuda, where the radhorses grazed placidly at the sparse flora and pawed at the dirt. Veronica slowly approached, hoping not to spook them “Oh, they’re actually kind of cute!”

“If you put your hand out flat, nice an’ slow, you can pet ‘em.” Rowdy demonstrated, letting a mottled, patchy-haired radhorse first sniff his hand before gently stroking its snout. Veronica followed suit, smiling brightly as she did so.

Suddenly, Veronica’s eyes went wide as she caught sight of Favor’s cyberhorse. That was no surprise; such a creature drew everyone’s attention, both good and bad. The only other animal that came close was a cyberhound owned by a gang leader in Freeside, but even the dog didn’t quite measure up to the awe that the steed inspired in onlookers.

“Some of our animals are a little more impressive than brahmin.” Rowdy said, a slight tinge of pride in his words.

“I’ll say.” Her eyes stayed fixed on the cyberhorse. Rowdy began to wonder if she was maybe born in a vault, same as Mushy. There was a lot more in the Mojave that struck vault dwellers as novel, but then again, the cyberhorse was something that was rare to everyone.

“Droving seems a lot more exciting than you led me to believe, Rowdy.” Verona said, a quirk in her smile. “This is so far from boring, you don’t even know!”

“Well, sure. But most of our job is just a lotta hard work.”

“So is mine, trust me.” She silently petted a radhorse for a few moments, then abruptly turned to Rowdy. “Do you think I could come along? Maybe just for a little while? You wouldn’t have to take care of me, or anything. I can hold my own. Hey, maybe I can even help out with the droving!”

Rowdy hadn’t expected her to stay past chuck, and such a proposition caught him off guard. “Well, I mean I’d have to check with Mr. Favor, but I sure would love that!”

“Great! I mean, yeah, check with your boss first, but I promise I’d be helpful.”

–--

Favor watched Rowdy approach camp, luckily with a large tin of liniment. It was a relief to see he was once again trustworthy in procuring supplies. However, he also had a stranger walking beside him. She was young, about Rowdy’s age, and not noticeably different from the average Wasteland traveller if not for the metal weapon encasing her right hand.

Rowdy said something to her, then trotted up to Favor, a smile on his face.

“Got the radhorse medicine you needed!” He handed over the tin.

“Made a friend in town already?”

“Oh, her name’s Veronica. She’s a traveller and uh, she was wonderin’ if she could come along with the drive, just until our next stop.” He scratched the side of his face, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“We ain’t lookin’ to hire on any more hands, you know that.”

“Oh, I know! But I didn’t mean hiring, just travelling together. Just for a little while.” Rowdy looked to Mr. Favor, attempting to give his best puppy dog eyes possible. It was a risky gamble, but he’d taken to Veronica so quickly, it was well worth it.

“She looks pretty capable. What’s she need, tagging along with a bunch of drovers?” Favor raised an eyebrow. “She wouldn’t happen to be lookin’ to tag along with you, specifically, would she?”

“What? No! It’s not like that.” Rowdy sounded a little too defensive for his own good, but given his usual pattern, Favor’s question wasn’t entirely unreasonable. “I promise. It’s only...friendly.”

“All right, all right, I believe you.” While it had been an easy jab at Rowdy, Favor’s concerns weren’t truly about the potential complications of one of his ramrod’s many sudden crushes. What really set off alarms was this young woman’s motives. Of course, everyone tended to prefer travelling the Mojave in groups rather than all alone, but what was she doing alone in the first place?

“So, how about it, boss? Can she come along?”

“Sure, at least until the next stop. I’ll see how it works out, from there.”

Rowdy was simply beaming. Telling the good news to Veronica left them both bubbling with the excitement of something new. Positive changes seemed a pretty rare occurrence, so anything like this was something to be treasured.

“First things first, we gotta introduce you to the rest of the drovers.” He frowned slightly. “Uh, don’t mind too much if they say something stupid. If anyone gives you too much trouble, just show that power fist of yours and that should show ‘em not to mess with you!”

“Duly noted!” She gave a thumbs up with it. “I’ll reserve that if anyone tries to flirt. No offense, but unless there’s a particularly pretty, brunette drover lady, I doubt any of them are my type.”

“You’re outta luck, there.” Rowdy said with a giggle.

Approaching camp, the newcomer immediately drew attention. Rowdy had to stop from rolling his eyes at how predictable it was. He’d probably do the same.

“Is this the helpful stranger Wishbone told us about?” Jim was the first to greet her.

“I’d like to think I’m somewhat helpful.” Veronica visibly blushed with such praise. “I’m Veronica, by the way!”

Names were exchanged, and chatter continued as chuck was prepared and served. As was expected, their guest was bombarded with questions, some she artfully evaded, namely, what she was doing out all by her lonesome in the first place. She played herself off as a drifter, and was able to steer the subject back to the drive itself, asking her own questions. Despite a few questions still left unanswered, her personability overrode any concerns.

“Sounds to me like we should ignore the current hirin’ policy and sign you onto the drive. You’re a world more helpful than Rowdy, if you ask me!” Joe said, looking to his partner, Jim, for agreement on the matter.

“Take it up with Mr. Favor!” Rowdy said, mock offended. After chuck, she and Rowdy wandered back toward the remuda. Making good on her offer to help along the drive, Veronica had agreed to take a night watch shift with Rowdy, but for now, they had some free time.

“So...” Veronica trailed off, her eyes looking out to the distance as she addressed Rowdy. “I can understand the radhorses, but where do you find ghoul and cyberhorses? They don’t exactly breed those on every ranch.”

“Well, the ghoul steed belongs to Joe Scarlet. He found her years before he joined up with the drive, at that same place as where he got...” Now it was Rowdy’s turn to hesitate. “...y’know, ghoulified. I s’pose it might be better to ask him about that.”

“Touchy subject?”

“No, not exactly, but it’s just kinda personal, I guess. He’s the only one who can ride that one, anyway. The radiation would be bad news for any of us.”

“Yeah, you could probably give up ever having kids after a few rides on that one, at any rate. Mr. Favor’s cyberhorse, though. That doesn’t come with radiation, I presume?”

“Butch? Naw, there’s no danger there. Well, unless you consider folks wantin’ to take him for themselves. See, Mr. Favor got him back when he was in the NCR, fighting the Brotherhood of Steel.” Something seemed to change in Veronica’s expression. He wasn’t sure what, but he realized it could well be confusion. Not _everyone_ knew details about the Brotherhood. “The Brotherhood, they like to take all sorts of pre-war technology, keep it hidden away, like the rest of us don’t deserve it or somethin’. Anyway, after the big battle over HELIOS One, Butch happened to be something we won from the Brotherhood. Mr. Favor though, he saw Butch as a living creature, not just some robot or piece of machinery, so he worked it out with the NCR and managed to keep him.”

Rowdy smiled brightly, looking to Veronica, gauging her approval of the story. His smile faded just the slightest when she didn’t seem to be as impressed with it all as he had hoped.

“Mr. Favor got the horse...got Butch, from the Brotherhood?”

“Well, they weren’t the first to own him. Mr. Favor figures Butch to be a lot older than the Brotherhood, probably even pre-war. It’s not like the Brotherhood makes anything new, they just take old things and hoard ‘em, like some kind of crazed scavenger would. See, it would make more sense to me if they sold the stuff, but they don’t even do that! They just keep it away, store it in secret bunkers and stations all over.”

He stopped again when he saw Veronica, her shoulder tensed, a barely-concealed frown on her face.

“You all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Her gaze looked out to nothing, a thousand miles away. “It’s just, that’s one hell of a war story.”

“Yeah, well anyway, uh...the horses sure help a lot on the trail. Couldn’t move these beeves without ‘em.” He was well aware that was a clumsy attempt at evasion, but it was better than nothing. “They’re the main focus, anyhow.”

“Right, of course.” Veronica’s voice sounded faux upbeat at most. Rowdy mentally kicked himself for diving into such history and talk of battles. For all he knew, she had friends or family who were killed there, after all. No battle left the NCR completely unscathed, even with their many victories.

Luckily, a distraction soon presented itself. Rowdy spied what appeared to be a partially caved-in roof, an old shack of a house within sight of the camp. He tapped Veronica’s shoulder and motioned toward the building.

“Say, wanna ask Favor if we can go do a little prospecting? See what’s in that ol’ place?”

“Yeah, sure!” Her joyful mood was back, and in turn, so was Rowdy’s. Being around Veronica reminded him of being a kid again, making brief friendships with other children before he and his folks had to travel yet again.

“Mr. Favor!” Veronica was the first to speak up as they approached the trail boss. “Since we’ve already made camp, Rowdy and I were hoping we could go take a look at an old house we found. Maybe there’s something good inside, something we could make use of?”

Favor smiled. “No need to sell me on it that hard, it’s okay. You two go ahead. Just be back in time for chuck.”

“We will!” they both replied in unison. Rowdy got the feeling Veronica must be similarly reliving old childhood memories. Such times were after all, far too brief for most in the Wastelands. 

The home was boarded up, more securely than most they found. Boarded up right before the bombs, by those who didn’t have some space for themselves reserved in a Vault. It was the remains of a desperate attempt to survive, and it must not have worked, for the majority of these old buildings housed the deathly remains of those who once lived there.

As grim a reminder as these skeletons may be of the pre-war world, their homes provided some meagre opportunity to the current residents of the Wasteland. Especially when they were as hidden and out of the way as this particular one.

Rowdy and Veronica pushed their way past overgrown scrub brush, finally coming to what had once been the front door. Some brief snooping around the dwelling’s small perimeter showed no readily accessible entrance.

“Guess we’ll have to make our own way in.” Veronica said. 

“Sounds like you know an awful lot about gettin’ into these old buildings. Thought you said you weren’t a prospector?”

“I’m not, not really, but only a fool would overlook something like this. Come on, let’s go!” With that, she wound her hand back as if to pitch a baseball, her power fist colliding with the boards keeping them out. The impact splintered the weak wood, leaving Veronica with her hand halfway through the window.

“Need any help?” Rowdy offered.

“No, thanks. I seriously overestimated the durability of these pre-war safety measures.” She said, pulling her arm out of the rubble. “After you.” 

“I thought it was usually ladies first?”

“Not today; gentlemen first!”

Rowdy tipped his hat and carefully crawled in, avoiding the rather sharp debris this breaking-and-entering had created. “This the kinda place you always search ‘round in?” Rowdy asked as he wiped cobwebs from his face.

“If I picked the popular places, I wouldn’t find anything, would I?”

“Guess not.”

“All right, I’m coming in!” Veronica followed Rowdy’s careful movements, though her shorter stature served to her advantage in this particular situation. Now that both of them were in the building, they quietly looked around. Every window, with the exception of their makeshift entrance, was boarded up, leaving nothing but slivers of light.

“I left my lantern in my saddlebag.” Rowdy admitted. 

“Fear not, I have a single, tiny flashlight.” Veronica pulled from out of her pocket a little light, something that looked pre-war, and in surprisingly good condition. “They don’t make these like they used to. Pre-war world might not have been perfect, but they knew how to make gadgets durable.”

It didn’t offer much light, but enough that they could tell the building was empty of threats. Not a single radroach seemed to have decided to call this place home. Sometimes, that would be a warning sign for a bigger threat, but in this case, it truly appeared to be a case of an extremely abandoned building.

Following the narrow light beam, Veronica and Rowdy looked over shelves of mostly junk. Dishes, knick-knacks, appliances that would only be useful if you didn’t have to haul them across miles of barren desert to get to a place with a generator in order to use them. Without even so much as food, it made sense that not even bugs had bothered with the place.

It was starting to look like a real disappointment, until a row of magazines was illuminated. Next to that was a short row of holotapes. Although room on the drive was limited, some of the titles caught both Rowdy and Veronica’s eyes. 

Rowdy went for a magazine,  _ Today’s Physician _ , which didn’t interest him too much, though perhaps Wishbone could make use of it for medical information. Meanwhile, Veronica snagged a holotape. On the cover of the tape was a woman, the kind of unscarred human form that only existed pre-war and maybe in some vaults, clad in a leopard print bikini under the title:  _ Music for a Bachelor’s Den: Sex Kittens in HI-FI _ , and boasted a ‘sassy selection’ of artists. Both had to laugh at the blatancy of the title.

“Guess this is the kind of stuff they had time for in the pre-war era, huh?” Veronica said.

“I hear tell some places on the Strip still do.” Rowdy said with a slight giggle.

“So...you wanna keep it, or can I?” A pause followed Veronica’s question.

“You can have it, if you want.” Rowdy said with a blush.

“Thanks.” Veronica wore a blush of her own, though the dim light hid it. “Oh, we’d better get back to camp!”

–––

A couple days passed since Veronica joined up, and she had taken quite well to life on the trail. Rowdy truly did wish she could make a permanent addition, though he had been noticing some moments where she seemed preoccupied. Never so distracted that she couldn’t help, or failed on a watch shift, but noticeable enough to Rowdy.

Once he was certain that he wasn’t just imagining things, the issue became whether or not he should ask her about it. He went over the conversation about HELIOS One they’d had before, wondering if he had said something wrong. Then again, it could just be something as simple as her missing her family, wherever they might be.

He resolved to ask her about it next time they made camp. By then, she was pacing, looking nervous, far enough outside of camp where she wouldn’t be noticed by anyone else. Seeing her so visibly distraught drove Rowdy’s nerves up, too.

“Veronica?” She froze at the sound of his voice. “You all right?”

She bit her lip, looking down at her feet until, with a heavy sigh, she spoke: “Damn it, I’m sorry, I can’t deal with this a second longer. Rowdy, I’m from the Brotherhood of Steel.”

His eyes went wide, and his mouth opened as if he wanted to speak, yet no words came out. Instead, Veronica continued.

“I’m so, so sorry. This whole plan was terrible, and spending time with you just made me realize that all the more.”

Finally, Rowdy got a semblance of a sentence together. “Plan? What plan?”

“I’m a procurement specialist for the Brotherhood. That means when I’m out, I’m supposed to gather supplies, usually just food and necessities. But I’m also obligated to gather information about pre-war tech, just like all the members. And ‘pre-war tech’ includes Butch. When I saw your boss riding a genuine cyberhorse, there was no way I could let it get away.”

“That’s why you tagged along.” Rowdy said.

“Not at first. I really did just want to hang out with you. Do something different for a change. But when I saw that you guys had a cyberhorse...” Her words ended in another heavy sigh. “Look, I don’t expect you to forgive me for this, but please, I want to explain. I’ve lived my whole life with these teachings, this obsession with pre-war tech, I couldn’t let something this big just slip through my fingers! I know the Brotherhood isn’t perfect. Like, really,  _ really _ far from perfect, but it’s what I come from. We still do some good, after all.”

Coming down from his initial shock, Rowdy felt the gradual dawn of understanding. He thought back over how he’d talked about the Brotherhood of Steel, and suddenly realized how much he must have sounded just like an NCR propaganda poster. He then felt the burn of shame at the memory of his own words.

“I guess we all got things we sorta hang on to.” He turned again to face Veronica, eyes finally meeting hers. “What are you gonna do now?”

“From where I stand now, I can either sneak out in the dead of night and leave you to make up some excuse as to why I split. Or, I can come clean and confess the whole thing to Mr. Favor. I admit, even if it sounds like the cowardly thing to do, I like the sound of the former, better.”

“But you ain’t gonna do that, are you?”

“No, slinking off like a wounded coyote isn’t my usual style. I’ll tell him the truth, but I need some time to think this over. I’ve already told you way more than I probably should have. It might be better if I were a little more careful when I talk to your boss.”

Rowdy nodded, but made no move to leave, standing in place. “You won’t get in trouble, will you?”

“With your boss?”

“No, back with the Brotherhood. If they found this out, I figure they wouldn’t be too happy, would they?”

“No, they’d be really pissed off. Really,  _ really _ pissed off. I’d probably get reprimanded and made to feel like a grounded kid for a while. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened, but they rely on me way too much to do anything dire. It’s not like this is the Legion, or something.” She practically spat out the word  _ Legion _ , filling Rowdy with some relief. At least the Brotherhood was anti-Caesar, and hadn’t teamed up in some enemy-of-my-enemy situation.

“That’s  _ if _ they find out, though.” Rowdy said, then offered a slight smile. “I won’t tell no one about this.”

Veronica offered a weak one in return. “Thanks, Rowdy.”

–--

Veronica wandered just outside of camp. It was beginning to grow dark, the Mojave sky clear and starry. If only her own mind was as clear. Instead, it felt clouded and cluttered, her thoughts competing with one another for her full attention. Each plan she came up with was derailed by another, leaving her wishing she’d never began this endeavour in the first place.

“Holy shit, you were planning to steal a  _ horse _ .” She said quietly to herself, rubbing her eyes. She was more exhausted than she should be, even with the day’s journey.

It had been so long since anyone in the Brotherhood did more than tolerate her. Was this really what this had been about? Was she seriously seeking approval by resorting to tactics more appropriate for raiders and rustlers? 

Worst of all, it probably would have worked, too. It was all too much to think about at one time. For now, she had to focus on the dreaded task of trying to talk to the person in charge, on a topic she didn’t want to. It felt lousy when she had to do so with her own people, and she could hope that this wouldn’t end worse.

–--

Favor was about to lay down in his bed roll when he caught a glimpse of Rowdy, usually eager to settle down for a good night’s sleep when the chance came, instead pacing back and forth.

“You tryin’ to wear a hole in the ground?” Rowdy jumped slightly at the sound of Favor’s voice, despite how low it was. “What’s got you so worried?”

Rowdy knew he shouldn’t— _ wouldn’t _ —breathe a single word of Veronica’s plan. It worried him to no end, what might become of her: Mr. Favor wouldn’t do anything too severe, that much he knew, but no matter the exact outcome, it wasn’t likely to be fun for anyone.

“Oh, it’s nothin’. I think I just uh, ate too fast tonight. Got indigestion.” He placed a hand over his stomach. Favor looked at him blankly.

“That has got to be the worst lie I have ever heard, even from you. If somethin’s wrong, you either speak up about it, or forget it and--”

“Mr. Favor.” Both drovers looked to see Veronica entering camp. “I think I’m the one who should speak up. As much as I really don’t want to, I have to tell you something.”

Favor stood up from his bed roll, suddenly looking less tired. Rowdy looked on, brows knit in clear worry. He felt the same sort of sick feeling he got whenever he saw one of his fellow soldiers reprimanded back in the NCR, while he himself stood by, helpless to fix the situation in any way.

“What is it?” Favor’s tone was now serious to match Veronica’s, though more with concern. For now, anyway.

“It’s something I need to tell you, one on one, if that’s possible.” She glanced around at the sleeping drovers. “This info might be...more of a ‘need to know’ basis.”

Favor took a while to consider it, taking barely a second for one last glance at Rowdy before making his decision. “All right, just outside of camp private enough?”

“Yes, it should be.” And with that, the two walked quietly out of sight. Rowdy wanted to follow them, just to be sure nothing went south during their talk, but he forced himself to sit down on his bed roll. He knew actually getting to sleep was out of the question.

It went on for far too long, his nerves twisting further until his stomach felt like one, big knot, until finally, Verona came back. Rowdy trotted toward her, chewing the inside of his cheek, his brows creased.

“So, how’d it go?”

“I think your boss really values honesty, lucky for me. Wouldn’t expect he’d want me along for the rest of the drive or anything, but he said I can stick around until we’re closer to the next trading post. I don’t know if he’s doing that because I’m so young and he’s worried for my safety, or if he’s secretly the nicest trail boss in the world--”

“It certainly ain’t the second one!” Rowdy laughed, his relief clear.

“Well, whatever his motivation is, he’s showing me what I’d consider mercy. I wouldn’t push it and invite myself back a second time, but I’m grateful he’s not turning me over to some NCR facility or something.”

“Mr. Favor wouldn’t do that.” Rowdy said softly. “I’m sorry everythin’ didn’t turn out better.”

“All things considered? I think it turned out a lot better than it could have. I can promise you and myself, I’ll never do anything like this ever again. I’m sticking with picking up groceries!”

They wandered over to the edge of camp, the firelight barely illuminating the two of them. The clicks and chirps of nocturnal insects sounded through the night, punctuated here and there by the soft desert breeze. Rowdy pulled out his canteen, taking a sip of purified water. He offered it to Veronica, who smiled and accepted.

She handed it back, a serious expression coming over her.

“Something that confuses me though, was that seeing Butch was a total shock. Then learning Mr. Favor got it after the battle for HELIOS One, that was even weirder. There’s no record of any cyberhorses in the possession of the Brotherhood, and there’s no way we  _ wouldn’t _ record that. And trust me on this; I’m a scribe, my mother was a scribe, so I may have picked up a few things about reading records.”

“Maybe they wanted to keep it secret?” Rowdy offered. “NCR has classified records, top secret documents. The Brotherhood have that sorta thing?”

“Not to the degree the NCR does. It’s supposed to be accessible for scribes, so if someone’s keeping information from the rest of us, they’re doing so against our usual policy. We record every single piece of technology we’ve ever gotten a hold of, it’s practically impossible we’d just accidentally forget to mention a cyberhorse.”

“ _ Accidentally _ ...”

“Yeah, exactly.”

Silence fell briefly over the two, each looking down to the ground, Rowdy scuffing a boot against the dirt.

“What are you gonna do, now?” He asked, offering her the canteen again.

“For now, I’ll keep doing my job as I’ve always done it. The Brotherhood will be none the wiser on the glorious find I let go. It’s not like we have spies or resources or anything. After all, they’re a bunch of shut-ins that send me out to buy their groceries. We don’t exactly have Frumentarii at our disposal.” 

“It’s good you don’t!”

“In the big scheme of things, yeah, you’re probably right. Last thing we need to do is start emulating the Legion.” She let out a sigh, looking off away from Rowdy, toward the horizon. “Well, better actually go get some food and basic supplies. Can’t return empty handed, after all.”

“You got that holotape, at least.” Rowdy said with a crooked grin.

Veronica returned it. “Yeah, I’ll make sure to show everyone my find. It’s pre-war tech, after all!”

“You can keep the canteen, too. I’ve got another.” Rowdy toed at the dirt again.

“You sure? This looks like an NCR issue one.”

“It is.” Rowdy shrugged. “I got enough from my time in the NCR. You should have that.”

“Thanks.” She held the canteen, looking over the faded ‘NCR’ stencilled on the side. “Y’know, even though things didn’t really turn out how either of us expected, it’s been great having a friend to travel with.”

“Yeah, it has. And who knows, maybe we’ll meet up again, sometime down the trail?” Rowdy said, looking hopefully at Veronica.

“I’d like to think so.”

The two sat together for a while, allowing the silence of the Mojave to be the soundtrack for one another’s company.

**Author's Note:**

> Lore notes time! I think the only thing I have to explain this chapter is the Power Fist (not to be confused with the Power Glove), which is an armoured, hydraulic-powered gauntlet that one wears for 'unarmed' combat. 
> 
> Also, I’ve decided to start explaining the song titles used. This one comes from a song that I believe was first recorded in the 1930s, but is one of those where it seems like everyone and their grandmother has covered it. 
> 
> Lastly, that silly sounding holotape title they find? Actual album that existed. Look it up, it's exactly what you'd expect it to look like.
> 
> Previous chapter titles are a slightly altered version of an Ink Spots song (it was used in FO3) and “Ant Foolin’ Me” is a terrible pun version of a Screamin’ Jay Hawkins song.


End file.
